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10 Jul 2003 : Column 893W—continued
UK Online
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which wards and programmes within Sefton have benefited from UK Online; and if she will make a statement. [124382]
Mr. Timms: There are thirty UK online centres which have been set up in the borough of Sefton, to provide people within the borough with access to Information and Communication Technology (ICT).
Thirteen of these centres are located in the Sefton ward of Litherland, five in Cambridge, four in Church, three in St Oswald, two in Harington and one in each of the wards of Sudell, Ainsdale and Birkdale.
Eight of the centres located within Litherland and one within Church were set up to specifically target people from disadvantaged community groups. Capital funding was provided (administered through the Department for Education and Skills—DfES) from the Capital Modernisation Fund (CMF). In addition revenue funding was provided from the New Opportunities Fund (NOF). In total, within the Sefton area up to £226,000 from the CMF was provided to contribute to building and ICT equipment costs and £89,000 was provided by NOF to help with revenue and running costs.
Additionally, UK Online for Business has established two e-business clubs run by British Chambers of Commerce and private partnerships, which serve the Sefton area. The Merseyside third sector technology centre (3TC) aims to make Information and Communication Technology accessible to voluntary and Community Organisations across Merseyside; the Merseyside eBusiness Club (MERIT NW Ltd) offers free impartial advice and information on how eBusiness and ICT can improve efficiency and profitability, and reduce costs to local businesses within the Sefton area.
EDUCATION AND SKILLS
Asbestos
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to his answer of 12 June 2003, Official Report, column 1067W, on asbestos, if he will list the buildings which have been identified as containing asbestos. [122989]
Ms Rosie Winterton: I have been asked to reply.
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The presence of asbestos is currently recorded in the following buildings occupied by the Department of Health, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies where it has responsibility for the building or building fabric:
- Department of Health (Wellington House, SE1; Eileen House, SE1; Hannibal House, SE1; Richmond House, SW1; Market Towers, SW8; Premier Buildings, Nelson).
Agencies: Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (Bristol Avenue, Blackpool).
Non-departmental public bodies: National Radiological Protection Board (Chilton, Oxfordshire); National Biological Standards Board (Porton Down).
Basic Educational Skills
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) men and (b) women in (i) the UK and (ii) Sefton lack basic (1) reading, (2) writing and (3) mathematics skills. [124137]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The International Adult Literacy Survey in 1996 suggested that in Great Britain 1 there are 3.8 million men (21 per cent.) and 4.1million women (22 per cent.) between the ages of 16 and 65 who performed at the lowest level in literacy and 3.2 million men (18 per cent.) and 5.2 million women (29 per cent.) who performed at the lowest level in numeracy. The Department does not have available regional or local level statistics on literacy and numeracy levels.
The Department has commissioned a new representative sample survey of working age adults in England to provide an up-to-date assessment of the scale of literacy and numeracy need. These estimates will be mapped to the new national basic skills standards, will allow analysis by Government Office Region, and will be published in autumn 2003.
- 1 IALS data are not available for the UK.
British Overseas Territories
Mr. Pickthall: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what responsibilities his Department undertakes in connection with British Overseas Territories. [123897]
Alan Johnson: The Department for Education and Skills does not have any direct responsibilities concerning the Overseas Territories. However, the Department has offered to provide them with general guidance on requests for specific information on education and training policies within the UK.
Child Care
Mr. Pickthall: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what representations he has made to Ofsted about their instructions to inspectors of nurseries and childminders to keep to a quota of 10 per cent. categorised as good. [123750]
Mr. Miliband [holding answer 9 July 2003]: No representations have been made to Ofsted on this matter. As this is a matter for Ofsted, Her Majesty's
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Chief Inspector of Schools, David Bell, will write to the hon. Gentleman and a copy of his letter will be placed in the Library.
EU Committees
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list (a) the names, titles and grades of the officials who sit on the EU advisory committee on vocational training, (b) the number of times, and the dates, on which it has met since January 2002, (c) the agenda items it has considered since January 2002, (d) the decisions it has made since January 2002 and (e) the means used to communicate the decisions to the House. [110281]
Alan Johnson: The information requested is as follows:
(a) The Advisory Committee on Vocational Training (ACVT) does not have a fixed membership, but consists of delegates drawn from each of the 15 European member states.
(b) The Committee usually meets once every Presidency and has met three times since January 2002; on 23–24 May 2002, 30–31 October 2002 and 5–6 June 2003.
(c) Since January 2002 the following agenda items have been considered:
- ACVT 23–24 May 2002
- Follow-up to the Barcelona European Council
- Establishment of the Guidance Forum
- Lifelong Learning: follow-up to the Commission Communication.
- Commission Communication on an Action Plan for Skills and Mobility COM(2002)72 Final
- Recognition and transparency: new approach; Transparency Forum; European Curriculum Vitae
- Forum on the quality of vocational training
- European portal on learning opportunities
- Implementation Report on the "Europass Training" Decision and evaluation plan 1999/51/EC
- ACVT 30–31 October 2002
- The working methods of the ACVT.
- An increased European cooperation in vocational education and training: an integrated approach (the "Bruges" initiative).
- Mandate of the transparency working group.
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Mandate of the credit transfer working group. Priorities for future work on the quality of vocational training, including the mandate of the technical working group on quality. Preparation of the new generation of programmes in the field of education and training. Taking stock of five years of the European Employment Strategy.
- ACVT 5–6 June 2003
- The draft new Rules of the Advisory Committee on Vocational Training.
- Preliminary information on the future rules of procedure.
- Status report on the "objectives" process.
- Progress report on the mapping exercise of sectoral qualifications currently being prepared by Cedefop;
- Evaluation and development of the project "Professionalisation durable".
- New employment guidelines.
- Occupational Health and Safety and its mainstreaming into education and training.
- Proposed approach to support the development of sectoral qualifications, including the role of ACVT.
- Outline of a draft proposal for a decision setting up a European framework for the transparency of competences and qualifications ("Europass II").
- New generation of programmes: results of the consultation process and state of play on the preparation of proposals.
(d/e) ACVT was set up to offer advice and submit opinions to the European Commission on vocational training policy. It does not have the power to make decisions. Its advice and opinions are addressed to the European Commission which provides the secretarial service to the Committee. The Commission publishes an annual report on the workings of its committees. The latest (second) report was deposited in the Libraries of both Houses on 10 January 2003 (Com (2003) 5060).
Examination Results
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of students gained five A*-C grades (a) excluding and (b) including GNVQ results in each year between 1995 and 2002; and if he will make a statement. [123963]
Mr. Miliband: The percentage of 15 year olds achieving five grades A*-C at GCSE or equivalent from 1995 to 2002 are shown in the table below.
| 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Excluding GNVQ | 43.5 | 44.5 | 45.0 | 46.1 | 47.7 | 48.8 | 49.4 | 50.2 |
| Including GNVQ | 43.5 | 44.5 | 45.1 | 46.3 | 47.9 | 49.2 | 50.0 | 51.6 |
As we announced in Opportunity and Excellence we are committed to greater vocational learning for pupils and students during the 14–19 period.
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